[Abdominal hernia repair with No-React treated bovine pericardial patch].

Unlabelled: In the last decades surgical treatment of abdominal wall hernias has extensively developed. Tension free reconstruction is essential to the successful operation, which can be achieved in many cases only with the use of hernia patch or mesh. Synthetic materials gained widespread use for this purpose, which markedly reduced recurrence rate; but they can cause infections and other serious complications. Various different types of meshes have been developed during the last years, but none of them meets entirely the requirements. The authors repaired epigastric hernias with intraperitoneal implantation of specially treated bovine pericardial patch in two patients to prevent infection. Both patients recovered without postoperative complications. Follow-up examination 7 and 15 months after the operation did not reveal recurrence or any other complications. The authors describe the applied surgical technique, the advantageous properties of the bovine patch and review the literature.

Conclusion: According to the early experiences of the authors as well as to data of the literature, the Shelhigh No-React bovine pericardial patch can be used safely and efficiently for the reconstruction of incisional hernias not suitable to direct repair. Further clinical trials are warranted to evaluate the usefulness of this method.